ARCHIVED - Cartagena port authority begins work on extension

The long-term intention is still to build a macro container port in El Gorguel

With the process of gaining EU approval for the proposed macro container port at nearby El Gorguel forecast to last at least until late 2020 and possibly longer, and due to doubts over whether that approval will eventually be gained, the port authority of Cartagena has announced that work has already begun to extend the facilities at the existing port in Escombreras.

Joaquín Segado, the president of the Cartagena port authority, explains that the start of work is needed due to the current facilities now being stretched to 90 per cent of their capacity. However, the project to extend the south-western jetty in Escombreras is a far from simple one, and is expected to take at least ten years to complete.

Even that timescale is flexible, though, as is the budget, due to the complexity of the administrative and construction procedures involved.